Best posts made by Lotherio

And do not shoot for teen/school/training oriented, seems the masses are teen/schooled out, lesson learned.

I love the idea, cold storage, group politics, threats and exploration. Just before we tried Rise of Legends/Ephermeris Erudition, we'd discussed a similar original sci-fi idea. It was cold storage concept like you have there, but it wasn't random people. It was famous historical figures waking up and having to figure out where they were. It included a wall around the city to protect from others (similar to the alien threat you have up there), something like Wayward Pines. The historical figures sounded fun. Instead of Joe the Engineer pondering how to fix generators after mad Tim blew it up, would of been like Alexander Graham Bell arguing Kalpana Chawla on how best to conserve resources and provide sufficient energy or something. And they didn't die, they were preserved for mysterious reasons or something, part of the meta was figuring that out and then having to deal with the 'new world' and other threats/reason for that wall. CG would of been very easy, chars could be stated, but BG could of just pointed at wikipedia. We thought to make everything else secretive and allow the theme files and wiki to develop more as it was discovered rather than all up front. We vested more in the secretive expansion idea but then decided too much OOC playgroups would share info off site with friends rather than discovering as community build/exploration.

That's to say, go original. For the reasons mentioned and for some of us, we don't have the time to get detailed in franchise/canon things; like KOTOR SW, it sounds fun but I wouldn't play because too many others know the canon and I don't want to read a ton to catch up.

I stream my music (vinyl) on a 54 Philco record/radio table.

Not mine but similar finish:

That or pandora on most smart devices.

Talk about a dick move ....

The db was given over freely so the game could continue, the new staff said old staff could stay. I don't care, I'm not going along, I'm on to new other things.

But literally less than a week after the move .... my co-head staff that helped spur the idea to try the place, helped build stuff on the wiki ... the same one that get me going to give password for the god bit and get the right db back up to the new head staff was removed from royalty and locked in the freezer for no apparent reason when they were still trying to help?

I don't care about the game and how it changes, its out of my hands, but the same ooc mistreating people from the new administration ...

@wildbaboons said in What is your turning point?:

Unless all I want to do is BarRp then scheduled RP is a must.

The topic deserves its own thread maybe, schedule vs unscheduled. Not sure how I feel about it said this way, it almost sounds like its assuming all non-scheduled RP is BarRp. I don't schedule and I usually go for some story, something is or has happened to interact with/to for me. Similar to @Auspice, there needs to be some story for me. This is like if I said the inverse, I need un-scheduled RP because if I wanted to plan out my RP, I might as well just write the book? Not saying scheduled RP is planned, just that sounded like lumping all 'improv' or 'random' or 'unscheduled' rp into random, and pointless social only.

@arkandel said in Good or New Movies Review:

@jibberthehut said in Good or New Movies Review:

Am I some weirdo who doesn't go see movies for it's message that may or may not actually exist or to compare to source material and just go... to be entertained and enjoy?

We're all weirdos here. We just bicker about our favorite flavors of weirdness.

Not weird at all, that's probably more the norm, just to be entertained. But some of us weirdos watch movie for message and content, and, to make matters worse many directors do put messages in the movies and have said as much. I blame Hitchcock for his strides in developing film language, among others.

I think any OC can do their own story with any willing to go along and still have fun. That may not be the point.

I think in light of open plots that any can join, the OCs have no point in meta if superman can show up and save the day. Sure they can still go play street level by themselves, but maybe they'd like to feel a part of the game more than sandboxing.

@wretched said in Now for something different:

@lotherio said in Now for something different:

Humans are zombie like hermits living vicariously through replicants/avatars.

Isnt that what i'm doing right now?

Hey now, I get up and go outside sometimes. When its not hot and sunny, too cold, or miserable. If its fair and 72 degrees and pleasant, I consider it at least.

@Ghost Heh, good call.

Omaha, somewhere in the middle of America.

For the record, Seger isn't singing about the area (for those not from the 402). East of Omaha is Iowa, so that song doesn't count as representation.

ETA: For those living outside, 531 is used enough these days that my delivery folks text and call from it more now. So if I'm filtering by area code I have to watch for 531 now. I've been getting 605's for some reason to from DoorDash,

Age old question in art ... who decides its meaning?

For public art, its somewhere in the middle, the artist and the viewer, each with their own background. Once it goes up an artist accepts they have some control but can't make everyone see it they way they intended.

If a Mu* is open to public (letting other players join Edit: Advertising and Recruiting in public forums), then players may validly express an opinion. Its certainly acceptable for them to voice concern with how a game promoting itself publically and trying to draw in new players seems to be steering itself. Its certainly acceptable for staff to disagree.

There is a difference between staff recruiting players that only wish to play one way (the term is over used here, but staff sandboxing) versus accepting players with different visions and direction.

Personally, I've always enjoyed when RP seemed to steer off course from anything I ever intend. Simply because it shows creativity and a vestment in the game and theme by those players; short of the point that those players dominate the direction for everyone.

@Ghost said in How do you like things GMed?:

I cannot understand the importance of great villains.

Just a quick note on this idea. If I want Fred to be the villain at some point, from an open ended standpoint, I don't make a series of events that lead to Fred (and again, good GMs that go that route do make it fun). I have Fred do something dastardly. Then I let the players plan the route and help them along the way, often times listening for what they're planning and incorporating it with other ideas that pop into mind. I didn't plan the end, Fred's demise, but I set the course by having him be the dastard. I guess that's the gate that was mentioned, but in open ended, I'm fine if Fred's demise isn't the final part of that arch for the players. Heck, if they let him go, I may use him for a nugget later (or if it is super hero city, he'll return anyways). I don't plan for it though, I react as the world at large for what the players choose to do.

@Aria I was being a goof, sorry about that, I figured you meant 80s Vandals. The other ones are the British Vandals (70s punk with Ali Moyet on vocals). But they might be more obscure, in the vein of Beastie Boys starting as a punk/thrash outfit before busting rhymes.

@Ganymede said in Historical MU*s:

@Lotherio said in Historical MU*s:

This sort of pedantic is why most historical games fail.

This is a cop-out. This is not why most historical games fail. Most historical games fail for the reasons already obliquely referenced in prior posts.

Having a MU* based in history is a great idea. Any game set in a historical setting is awesome. The problem, more often than not, is the lack of things to do. In fact, I would wager that the vast majority of games that do not live past the first year die because there's nothing for the players to do but exist in an awesome setting.

No one will give a shit whether you call the settlement York, Jorvik, Eoforwic, or Eboracum if there's something to do. Pick what you like about the setting and the theme, and make a game out of it. If you like the Period of Invasion, I would recommend creating or adopting a system of gameplay that allows players to manage or assist in managing whatever fiefdom they are attached to.

I'd venture to say most staff who offer things to do suffer from the same blow out of no fun when half the players always argue with them on when certain armor and tech came about and complaining about when they should be able to get it.

This is sort of turning 'there is nothing to do' on me, I can think of a million things to do and have fun doing them. I'm sort of moving to defense of me saying I'd like to play in a Danelaw game.

@Ghost said in How do you like things GMed?:

UNDERSTATE. My phone autocorrected it to understand.

Heh, I read it as understate too. This is what happens when a dyslexic person goes with the auto-corrected word without double checking their own reading comprehension (I understood it, it looked right to me).

@Ghost said in Concerts & Goth Stuff:

@Lotherio The Vandals are great. Man, almost all of that Epitaph Records new wave punk pre Blink 182 era stuff is solid. Rancid, Nofx, Bad Religion, Offspring...

That was a good era of music.

I was trying not to get into the topic here or on other thread for fear of feeling old. I remember NoFx at the Capital before it closed downtown. I remember skipping to Lincoln in the 90s to catch old Fear, still touring in the 90s. Why yes Fear, I will have a Beer with Fear.

@Ganymede said in Historical MU*s:

@Lotherio said in Historical MU*s:

I'd venture to say most staff who offer things to do suffer from the same blow out of no fun when half the players always argue with them on when certain armor and tech came about and complaining about when they should be able to get it.

You probably have more experience with this than I do. I may have more experience with telling people to fuck off politely, which would be my tactic in the event that someone complained thusly.

Heh, this probably happens quite often too. First the argument over historical accuracy, to the point of putting the people having fun to sleep or onto other games, then comes the fuck off part, and then its the three people still discussing some nonsense about manifest destiny and the Gadsden Purchase in the race for the transcontinental railroad. Aka: The middle step, and it always happens.

Being one who would be up for RP in a decent historical place and who agrees it needs to not be accurate so much as hollywood, figured I'd throw in a few comments too. And definitely more Hollywood, I can't imagine stumbling across a log and reading a kiss while my mind fathoms halitosis and general dental hygiene of whatever era is being played (A got a bit of something from that kiss, must be a chewing stick you had before kissing me, how considerate of you .... alas, I did not have a chewing stick, my third molar is chipped from all the stone mill gravel in the bread, its either tooth or gravel).

I don't think too many places have claimed historically accuracy or authenticity, but as we can see here, historically accurate was applied as going along with historical setting, fairly early in the responses. Its a fare response to say its not advisable, but its also assumed a lot regardless of intent.

The comment about disliking the channel debate on accuracy is one I agree with, even if you say historical Hollywood interpretive fantasy, there is going to be disagreements on which is more accurate for theme and someone will always take the high horse of having to be historically accurate despite theme saying it isn't. Someone may even ask about obscure history that wasn't considered by staff and by the time they come back after finding what suits theme, a debate could be in full swing on a channel about what should be done by staff related to the question.

That said, I'm more concerned with the points brought up by @Pandora and @Tinuviel. The theme/staff could have addressed RED historical versus what the game is after relating to racial and ethnic portrayals, but regardless, there is going to be RED portrayals with wild interpretations (ie over the top stereotypes and/or gross misinterpretation). As the one that brought up the idea of an early stages Reconquista-Era joint at one point, it was apparent it would be impossible to diverge from RED. If the game tried to reduce the concept, it wasn't accurate enough, and even if it did, player pre-conceived concepts would dominate enough it would come up, most likely in some offensive manner. That and staff would be utterly busy trying to say, that's not our theme, over and over again.

Another note from me, and probably only me, I'd also be more worried that picking any era would be a rush for folks to get PBs/character inspiration from their favorite historical drama. Like as much as I enjoyed Jeremy Irons in The Borgias, I don't know if I want to see him used to play out an incestuous manipulative sort on a game (cause I watched the series, I want to be surprised, not replay an open book). I'd rather see something new to historical genre than something played out a few times; but I think its similar to the comic debate where people would rather see a Gotham re-envisioned due to familiarity rather than an original theme dark city comic game.

Like I've been enjoying Turkish historical drama ever since Magnificent Century made its way to Netflix, but shudder at the idea for something to play out magnificently in a historical setting (see Reconquista above), it would turn into some crusade era religious war concept where being group (race/ethnic/religion) x is somehow synonymous with must hate group y.

@Ghost I remember in the rather early 80s one of the local channels did a show with some video and would interview bands. I want to say 85 or 86 they had Chili Peppers or something on. Can't say I'm a fan of much of their recordings but as a live touring band trying to get going with a label, they were good (like Beastie Boys before hip hop, but I do like the change too)

@sthanheykel said in Historical Mu* - Looking for interested Staff:

If you don't mind someone with very limited coding skills (most of it coming from my brief stint as a builder at Firan), but lots of time to help, learn and some Osprey books to provide a more historical accurate aspects on whatever you'd like to be more closely related to real history, I'd like to volunteer myself to help you out.

Some points weren't much clear to me, though:

• Will you focus on a specific city or... county (You could probably use CK2 system of Count-Duke/Lesser King-King/Viceroy-Emperor for simplicity's sake)?
  My suggestion is that you focus on a specific area, let's say the County of Santiago de Compostela, you put the Bishop of Iria as a NPC, allowing the players to play out as barons and nobles trying to find their place on court.
• Would you be able to play Muslims on the Caliph's court? What about Jews?
• What kind of system are we looking forward to?
• How fast would time progress?

We're looking at the region of the Asturias mountains of northern Spain, where the autonomous Kingdom of Asturias develops. The region between Cangas de Onis near Covadango and the administrative center of the caliphate at Gijon on the coast (which moves to Leon before said kingdom arises). Using current parishes as a loose guide to the estates, homes, castles of our nobles.

If we went with actual religion in the area, christian, arian, muslim would be prominent religions, but as noted, we're looking at alternate view of this. Courts would be Pelagius in Cangas de Onis (visigoth prince at this time) and the qadi (judge) of Gijon and the administrative province as established by the wali (governor) of Corboba.

Base system is FS3 as most L&L folks are familiar with it, probably including a modified trait system (pendragon light).

No time line, not a rush, just want things on order before opening for cg. If it takes awhile but it's more ready by way of theme and policy to avoid confusion, all the better (last edit, sorry)

@peasoupling said in Historical MUSHes:

I mean, if you look at it that way, no one wants authenticity in modern settings either, they want to play a romanticized version of the modern world, full of sexy billionaires and heroic cops and thieves with a heart of gold and creepy serial killer cultists, and hardly anyone voted for Trump except possibly the serial killer.

Exactly this. I don't see why it should be different for historical places. The OP didn't even ask for accuracy, it just came up as it always does when Historical Game is intoned. I think in part, there are a handful of players that would prefer a game related to just trying to survive in a historical period. Nothing wrong with that at all, it just seems that if a place isn't historical enough for some, it tends to get negative feedback pretty quick on the accuracy meter.

@Aria said in Concerts & Goth Stuff:

@Ghost .....try seeing a 70-something Roger Daltrey/Pete Townsend sing "My Generation" live. At least Townsend has the grace and perspective to burst out laughing about the "hope I die before I get old" line.

Heh, how's that, when they stutter 'g-g-g-g-gggg-generation' its actually stuttering? (Kidding)